The provincial government is chipping in $615,000 to
help a new farmer-owned short-line railway company
get off the ground between Manitou and Morden.

Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk said this
morning the government’s investment in the new
Boundary Trails Railway Co. will help area farmers
save on grain shipping costs while lessening heavy
truck travel and wear and tear on provincial roads.

Grain shipments by rail also use up less fuel,
meaning there are environmental benefits, she said.

Kevin
Friesen, a Manitou farmer who heads the BTRC, said
grain producers expect to save $1,600 in grain
cleaning and handling charges on each railway car
they ship.

The first shipment of grain on the new line,
formerly property of CP Rail, is expected to take
place in the next few weeks, once flooding has
subsided at Morris. Floodwaters have forced the
temporary closure of some area track.

Much of the grain loaded on the 37 kilometre BTRC
line will be shipped east to Thunder Bay, where it
will be handled by Winnipeg-based Mission Terminal
Ltd., which has also invested in the rail line.